With so many new restaurants popping up recently in Karachi competing with each other — many forget that restaurant experience is not just about the food on a plate but also about creating an entire experience. Fika's masterful ability to create a distinctive and memorable cultural experience overshadows the fact that the actual food was not exactly to my taste.

Located in the same lane as Koel, Cafe Flo and Patio in Clifton Block 4, Fika's uniqueness adds diversity to the rich culinary landscape of the area rather than making it feel over-saturated with the same type of eatery.

While other restaurants are either too specialised or too broad, Fika embraces the binary by housing two unique eateries each with a separate approach and style under one establishment. What they offer is the best of both worlds without muddling the two.

The ground floor is home to Fika — the bright modern cafe. Minimally decorated and stark white, it is perfect for lunch. It serves standard cafe fare including a variety of sandwiches and pastas and featuring a wonderful sea food chowder which is a must.

Recently launched "Fika on the roof" is the polar opposite. On entering the roof area, the eye is immediately drawn to the pale blue walls featuring iconic rickshaw art. The seating follows the same theme in bright fun colours and recognisable motifs. Not only is it beautiful to look at, the decor by artist Muhammad Zeeshan sets a scene and creates an atmosphere.

The ambiance gives an indication of the type of cuisine on offer and the menu reinforces this colourful bold fusion quality. The small focused menu is preferable to the eclectic 8 page ones that are prevalent because the style and tone of the food is instantly apparent. The "desi fusion menu" has hints of Mediterranean, Italian and Mexican flavours all fittingly adapted for the local palate.

The 'mezze platter' is a great deal as it could generously serve four for Rs540 mezze platter. The dips, including hummus, baba ganoush, mutabbal, a tomato chutney and labneh, as well as the pickles (carrot, cucumbers and green chilies) are all made in-house.

Unfortunately with the exception of the brilliant tomato chutney which expertly balanced the natural tartness of the tomato with rich aromatic spices, none of the other dips really stood out in terms of flavour or texture; they were all creamy and pleasant with pita bread but indistinguishable from each other.

'The Lebanese Fish' consisted of a sole fillet cooked to perfection and topped with a savory olive capsicum relish and served with rice pilaf and the most refreshing salad. The bright tart flavours of the fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and onions created complex layers of tastes in contrast to the richness of the fish. The light long grain fluffy rice was good on its own but seemed unnecessarily paired with the sauce-less fish.

The 'Fika style chicken cacciatore' was an interesting interpretation of the classic Italian dish. Perfect for people who enjoy intense flavours, it is piquant without being an assault by overwhelming heat. The 18 different spices used in the sauce blend well to create an unbelievable palette of flavours. Nicely complimented by creamy fettuccini, the cacciatore is admittedly too heavy for me and I could only have a few bites.

The intriguing idea of gulab jamun with ice cream did not live up to its promise. There was no real contrast in flavour, texture or temperature to justify the combination. The proportions were also imbalanced; ice cream should serve as the accompaniment and not overwhelm the dessert.

Both the ice cream and gulab jamun were of good quality on their own but they did not really add anything to one another and Rs240 seems a steep price to pay for this. It's probably wise to skip dessert in favour of the paratha which looked delicious. Also on the list to skip are the signature drinks which are overloaded with flavour syrups and much too sweet to complement the meal.

In comparison to other restaurants of its ilk, Fika on the roof is reasonably priced and offers uncommon flavours. While many of the dishes could use fine tuning, owner Abid Merchant has a winning concept and a thoughtful approach to food.

Dining on the roof with a casual comfortable vibe, good food and great value will surely catch on.

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Food: 3/5

Ambiance 4.5/5

Value for money 4/5

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Hala Syed is a culture critic who writes on television, fashion and food.